The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-01-07

Meade is one of the prigntest omcers IN the
service. lie has spent nc sea seventeen OF
his thlrty-six years of naval service. and
during this period commanded fourteen
ships. His last cruise OF consequence was
IN command OF the Vandalia OH the South
Atlantic station.
The Atlanta is 10 have another trial this
week. Chief Engineer Melville of Siberian
fame has been put In charge or her ma
chinery and expresses the opinion that he
can make her do herself great credit with
experience illustrates rather rdiculously
the narrowness of the inexperienced men
OF the naval profession. Engineer Mel
VILE critlcises the Atlanta's boilers more
than any other part of her machinery, a de-
rect IL It Is defect, that has been wholly
overlooked by. the gifted and scientific
critics OF the boat. But the boilers have
already stood severe hydraulic and steam
tests. The error In computing the Attain
tas displacement, which has resulted In
nearly foot more draft than was intend
Cd. has found a counterpart In the British
Torpedo cruiser Scout, recently launched.
There was about the same mfscalcuIatiOn
III the Scouts plans, and there Is now a
merry row going Oh among the admiralty
people In consequence.
MOVEMENT OF GRAIN.
The report of the Senate committee on
transportation routes TO the seaboard on
the subject OF railroad freights in the
United States and other countries makes
Duo pages OF printed matter and contains
many valuable tables and much infOrha-
ton on tlle subject OF transportation, gath
cred from nearly every country in the
world. The first table presented Indicates
the progress of the United States for gen.
eratiQp. Thirty-three years ago we pro-
duced l00O0O,UOo bushels of wheat and
about GO0, 1000 900 bushels of corn. Twice
In recent years we have reached 500. 100 600
4. .SE N
reached ,SOO,0JO,O0o bushels "a fivefold in
crease In wheat and threefOld increase in
corn. The increase in other cereals has
not been so rapid. In the export trade
eight years has added 81, coo, o X, 900 to the
value OF our national production, a sum
equivalent to four times the value OF ex-
ported corn and corDmeal during the same
period.
The report shows that the difference in
the prices or corn between the Atlantic
ports and the lake ports has steadily de-
clined from 81 cents per bushel in 1873
10 cents per bushel I'm 1888; between the
Atlantic ports and the western river por s,
from ~ cents In 1873 to IL cents In 1888
This In measure shows the tendency of
fire. ght rates to decrease.
Regarding the question of long and short
hauls the committee came to the conclusion
that local freight rates "are evidently
levied on the somewhat general principle
OF what the traffic will bear. The. report
says the cost OF transporting buShel of
wheat is more nearly equitable in Massa-
chusetts than IN any other state represent
Ell, although there 1t finds n lesser rate for
thlrty-six miles than for fifteen. The re-
port continues:
In Pennsy lvania local rates are higher
than IN Massachusetts. In Ohio the rate
Is about the same Oh 90 miles as it Is OH 90,
while the long haul OF PIG miles. instead OF
being relatively less, Is relatively greater.
In Massachusetts in 1873 it cost 46 cents to
u bushel of wheat 81 miles; the
cost In Connecticut tor transporting the
same quantity of grain 62 miles was 7cents;
in Pennsylvania, 20 miles. AZ cents, and In
Ohio, CD miles, cents. OF course the con.
ditiOns may not have been The same
Farther west we find Kansas paying AZ
cents per bushel for transporting a bushel
OF wheat ~ miles, and Massachusetts, for
the same service, ri miles, 90 cents, while
California pays 5.3 cents per bushel tor 50
miles.